


What Happens at VanguardCon (maybe) Stays at VanguardCon

by Calyx_Lytsong



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Conventions, Cosplay, Crossdressing, F/M, Hook-Up, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 11:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30138687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calyx_Lytsong/pseuds/Calyx_Lytsong
Summary: Miwa decides to show he's serious about Misaki by trying to win the cosplay contest at VanguardCon.Featuring some Kaichi cosplaying as Dragonic Overlord & Lil Sage Marron
Relationships: Kai Toshiki/Sendou Aichi, Miwa Taishi/Tokura Misaki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	What Happens at VanguardCon (maybe) Stays at VanguardCon

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday wishes to my all time favorite wingman, Miwa Taishi. I'm a little early (April 1) but its ok, right?

It was an ordinary Saturday morning at Card Capital, meaning the store was getting busier as the regulars wandered in. Kai had just arrived home from The European Circuit for the summer so, of course, he was playing Aichi at their usual table.

The buzz in the card shop this morning was all about the upcoming VanguardCon in less than three weeks. Shin and Misaki had decided to close the shops during the event and instead have a booth at the convention for the first time. No one came to the shops during VanguardCon anyway. They were planning on having a small area for sales, and a few tables to focus on teaching beginners. It would be their first year at the convention, and most of the shop regulars had been conscripted to be temporary paid help. Misaki and Miwa had their heads over the schedule now.

“Kai, you and Aichi are on some panel that Saturday, right?” Kai lazily flashed a thumbs up from across the room. Misaki tapped a pencil against her lips. “And Aichi, you’ll have graduated by then, I think? Can I put you both on the tables Friday? It’ll be a slower day, so you won’t be mobbed.”

Aichi chirped “Sure, Misaki!” at the same time that Kai said “Hmph.”

“Taking that as a yes. Okay, then Kamui can have the Friday off. Hmmm.”

“Misaki, I need the Sunday off, I want to compete in the cosplay competition,” Miwa said. “Kai, Aichi, you’ll dress up too, won’t you? For moral support?”

Aichi chirped “Sure, Miwa!” at the same time that Kai said “Hmph.”

“Aw, c’mon, Kai, it’ll be fun!” Miwa wheedled. “I bet you had zero fun with Gaillard in France! And this way, you two can walk the floor without people recognizing you and bothering you.” He thought to himself, ever the wingman, _‘Maybe if you get another chance to see how cute Aichi is dressed up for you, you’ll finally take the bait.’_ He’d made it his life’s mission the last few years to finally get them together as a couple.

“Yeah, Kai, we can just use our Dragonic Overlord and Little Sage Marron costumes we wore for Halloween. Everybody uses those store-bought ones, we’ll blend right in!” Aichi smiled up at him. Kai rolled his eyes.

Misaki said dryly, “I can understand why _they_ would want to dress up to be incognito, but why would _you_ want to cosplay, Miwa?”

“Hey! I think I can come up with a great costume! The prizes are pretty fantastic and it will be fun. Maybe I can win!”

She snorted and said drily “No, you can’t.”

“Really? Well, then how about a wager? If I don’t get first place, you can have… I don’t know, whatever you want. If I _do_ though… you’ll finally go out with me.” He leaned closer to her and winked.

She lifted her head slowly and side-eyed him, apparently working through what she wanted as her prize when he lost. Maybe she’d make him wear the costume at work for a week. It was a win-win situation. Really, just a **win** situation as he had no chance in hell.

“Hmmm. You have no chance in hell. You’re on.”

“Did you hear that?” Miwa whooped, startling everyone. “You’re all my witnesses. I’m going to come up with the best costume ever and win a date with my lady!”

**********************

He settled on Amaterasu. Miwa didn’t feel any sort of solid connection to his Kagero avatars, and so many people went as dragons, he knew he would need to think outside the box. This whole thing was to win a night out with his long-time crush, so he was sure he’d get her attention dressed as **her** avatar. Misaki seemed to regard him as just a flirt. He wanted to show her how serious he was about her, by putting time and thought into this.

He engaged the aid of his mother for the sewing. Bless her heart, she didn’t do more than raise a brow and ask, “Are you sure about this, Taishi?” before getting her sewing machine out of the closet.

He spent a few hours finding the thigh-high white boots online in a size large enough for his feet, then carefully taping off and painting a stripe down the middle after they were delivered. He took to wearing the high heels around the house, practicing walking in them until he was confident he wouldn’t break an ankle. His parents carefully ignored the situation, used to his foibles by now.

He paid Shingo to 3D print the necklace bits and headdress for him, swearing him to secrecy.

The wig came straight from a cosplay site. It was surprisingly the most expensive part of the outfit, but it was pretty intricate.

The second hardest part was having to go to the drugstore to buy makeup. He was quickly out of his depth. In the end, he sheepishly handed his printout of Amaterasu to the lady behind the counter to let her choose what he’d need. 

The single hardest part was realizing he would need to shave his legs, as about six inches of thigh showed above his boots. He sighed as he sat on the edge of the bathtub and grabbed the can of shaving cream. _‘The things we do for love.’_ he thought wryly.

*********************

Miwa met Shin and Misaki at the shop the last morning of VanguardCon dressed in his finery. He had begged a ride in the van, knowing he couldn’t drive in three-inch heels and that he would need to sit on the floor so he wouldn’t crush his towering hair. His friends had warned him against riding the train in drag.

Misaki unlocked the door to let him in. Her eyes widened into saucers, and her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ of shock. “M-Miwa…” she stammered. He blushed crimson, pushing past her into the store.

“Between the two of us, stammering and blushing, we’re channeling Aichi.” he laughed. “So, I need help with the makeup,” he held out tubes in a fan between his fingers. “I tried but I can’t get the cat-eye thing right.”

“By the grace of…” Misaki breathed in shock, looking him up and down. She stared at his face critically, then said, “Hold on, you need foundation. You can use mine.” She dug a compact out of her purse, then gestured at him to lean down so she could pat it on; he towered over her in the heels. “You look gorgeous. I just might lose this damned thing.” She frowned as she plucked a brown liquid eyeliner from his hand.

“Hah! Now that’s what I like to hear!”

******************

When they got to the convention center, he made his way to the ballroom to register for the cosplay contest later in the afternoon. He kept getting stopped by people wanting to take their pictures with him.

Afterward, he wandered the floor looking for Aichi and Kai. He saw the back of a Dragonic Overlord near the wall, with a familiar flash of blue behind him. When he got closer, he realized the dragon had a Little Sage Marron pinned against the wall in a heated embrace. He beat a hasty retreat. _Whoops. Wrong people._

He headed to the Card Capital booth to pass some time. Shin was at the sales table, doing brisk business, all smiles. Kamui and Misaki were running the training tables, teaching smaller kids to play Vanguard with borrowed decks. Emi was watching the action, with shining eyes.

“Hey, Emi, how’s it going here?”

She didn’t look away from Kamui. “He’s so patient with the kids. I guess I never noticed before…”

Miwa smiled. Looks like somebody was going to get a date out of this, anyway. 

A trio of people stepped up beside them. It was Team Asteroid. Ren was an exquisite Blaster Dark, Asaka showed a lot of skin as Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier, and Tetsu as… Tetsu. Miwa crooked an eyebrow at him.

“What? I don’t have an avatar in black leather.” Tetsu quipped. “Someone needs to be an adult here, anyway.”

“Oh, boo.” Ren pouted. “You’re never any fun.”

Ren turned to face Miwa, running a jaded eye over his costume. “Hmmm, interesting choice Biwa. Are those three-inch heels?” He smirked, posing with one leg cocked. “Mine are six.”

“Oh, Master Ren. Not everyone can pull that off!” Asaka simpered, hanging off of his arm.

“You’re right, Aa-chan. I really shouldn’t judge.”

He turned back to Miwa, who was holding in his laughter with difficulty. “Have you seen Kai and Aichi? Am I right in assuming they’re doing the old Overlord and Marron routine?”

“Yup, you are. They’re supposed to meet me before the cosplay contest, but I haven’t found them yet. I’ve seen a Marron and Overlord together a few times, but they’re wrong ones, they’ve been kissing in corners.”

“Hmm. Interesting…” Ren reached out with a fingertip and wiped the corner of Miwa’s eye gently. “You had a smear, just there. It gets easier the more you wear it.” _So condescending._ He turned to go. “Well good luck, then, we’ll see you on stage.”

Miwa headed over to the bathrooms to check his hair and makeup. He would need to be backstage soon. He stopped in confusion. Men’s or Ladies? Neither choice was really a good one in his situation. He sighed and got in the long line for the family one.

A short time later he headed back toward the ballroom. ‘I’ll try calling them.’ He thought. He dialed Kai. It rang for a long time, then went to voicemail. He tried again. On his third try, he faintly heard Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” playing from somewhere up ahead. It was the song he had jokingly set as the custom ringtone for his calls on Kai’s phone that Kai had never got around to changing. He followed the sound to a corner, where the Dragonic Overlord and Little Sage Marron were making out again. He reached out a hesitant hand and tapped the dragon on the shoulder. As the Overlord whirled toward him, he got a good look at Aichi’s face behind him, pupils blown, lips puffy, looking dazed.

“Wha-what? WHAT?” Miwa’s voice scaled up to a near shriek.

“Keep it down!” Kai hissed at him. Kai turned back to Aichi, stroking his fingers gently down the smaller boy’s cheek, which was reddening with embarrassment as his eyes slowly focused on Miwa’s face. “Cat’s out of the bag, Sendou,” Kai said in a low voice, tinged with… was that satisfaction? “Go get us a couple of drinks. We’ll wait for you here.”

Aichi shot Miwa an apprehensive look, then ducked his head and walked away quickly.

Kai turned back to Miwa and tried to run his hand through his hair, forgetting that he was in a dragon costume. It went thunk, against his ridged headpiece. “Damn, you look great, Miwa,” he said as he eyed his friend up and down. “Brave of you.”

“Don’t give me that.” Miwa cut him off. “How long?”

“Since— since the second time we fought…”

“WHAT? LIKE OVER THREE FREAKING YEARS? HOW?”

“Too damned loud, Miwa!”

“I-I don’t understand this...”

“When I left the card shop that day, he followed me outside to thank me again for giving him back Blaster Blade, all jittery and blushed up. I don’t remember doing it, exactly, but the next thing I knew I had him against the wall in the alley, and he sure didn’t seem to mind. After that, it was on-again, off-again, angry make-outs, and casual hookups for a while. Then, despite our bumpy road, it just grew into something more...”

“Oh my GOD, you’ve just blown my freaking mind, Kai! So THAT’S why he’s been blushing around you this whole time… ...oh my God, and his high collars all the time? You dirty bastard!”

“Miwa…”

“Is that why you’ve been such a dick? To throw us all off?”

“...No.” Kai clipped out “That was just me.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Miwa chuckled. “Dammit, Kai. I’ve been trying to get you two together this whole time… why didn’t you tell me?”

“Seriously? First, because we were both embarrassed and scared, I guess. Later, I mean, he’s underage till next week… we both were, for a while.” Kai flushed. “And he got bullied so much in school as a kid, he really wanted to get out of high school before we told anybody.” He huffed a laugh. “At least we managed to hide it till a whole week after he graduated…”

Aichi came back, bright red, carrying three canned drinks in a pyramid on his outstretched hands. He offered the pile toward the two of them. Kai and Miwa each grabbed one. Kai checked his phone. “C’mon, we’re cutting it close.”

They started walking quickly toward the ballroom. Aichi said nervously, “So, ah… Miwa. Are you o-okay with it… I mean with us?”

Miwa rolled his eyes, and huffed a disbelieving laugh. “Of course, I am, Aichi, I’ve been shoving you at each other for years, if you’ve noticed. I just feel like the village idiot.”

Aichi kept his eyes forward, but reached out and touched him on the arm. “No. It meant a lot. I knew you were okay with Kai and me being together. You made me realize that other people would be too and that one day we could be maybe together publicly. You helped. Thank you, Miwa. I’m sorry we kept it a secret so long.”

Miwa relaxed. This is what he had wanted for them; him not being in on it didn’t really matter in the end.

Kai and Aichi took their seats for the contest in the audience next to Tetsu, while Miwa headed backstage. The show was about to begin. It felt a bit anticlimactic, but he would give it his all.

***********************

Misaki looked up from packing away the remaining merchandise as Miwa trailed up, looking dejected. His elaborate hair was leaning precariously to the left, his eye makeup was running a bit, and he was walking in his socks, limping slowly toward her, carrying his boots in one hand and a carrier with two coffee cups in the other. The white train of his dress had a large footprint on the hem.

He sat heavily on the floor next to the table she was clearing, exhaling loudly.

“Hard day?” she laughed.

“One HELL of a day in many ways, Misaki.” He looked sadly up at her. “I didn’t win.”

“Yeah but you looked great up there! We got to watch on one of the monitors!” She closed the flaps on the last box, stacking it on a dolly. “And second place is nothing to sneeze at. At least you beat Ren, that’s something worth doing!” she cackled meanly.

“If it wasn’t for that Asura Kaiser, I would’ve won!”

“No one could beat that guy. He had animatronic arms and backlit eyes. He must’ve been an engineer or something.” 

Miwa reached up and grasped her hand, pulling her down to sit beside him.

She reached up and pulled off his headpiece and wig, putting them on the floor beside her.

“Ugh, you shouldn’t have done that." He patted at his wig cap. "I’m gross and sweaty and hideous, I’m sure.”

“Not too bad, just a little more damp and squished than usual.” She laughed a bit.

“Well, what’s it to be, Misaki?" He peered at the coffee cups, figuring out which one was hers and putting it into her hand, "What are you going to do to me?”

She reached out her finger and poked at his bare thigh. “I didn’t really tell you, but your costume was amazing, Miwa. You actually shaved your legs for this?”

“All or nothing, for you, Misaki!” He smiled at her tiredly.

“Well, I was thinking that I would make you wear this at work for a whole week.”

Miwa groaned.

“But I changed my mind. One date. That’s my prize. We’ll see how it goes.”

She reached out to curl her hand around his. He let his head fall back against the wall with a thunk. “Huh,” he said, bemused, as a huge grin spread over his face. A hell of a day, indeed.


End file.
